This application relates generally to hooks and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for threadably coupling a hook to a structure.
During hunting season, hunters attempt to gain certain advantages over their prey, as well as other hunters hunting the same prey. For example, certain advantages may be gained to a bow hunter that is perched well above the ground in comparison to a bow hunter perched in a ground-based location. More specifically, because of natural obstructions near the ground, target angles may be more advantageous when the hunter is elevated. Furthermore, being elevated also facilitates avoiding early detection of the hunter by prey on the ground.
For at least these reasons, it is common for such hunters to hunt from tree stands that are secured within trees at various heights above the ground. To facilitate providing an efficient means for climbing to the tree stands, at least some hunters use a self-tapping hook, commonly referred to as a tree step. At least some known tree steps are characterized by a threaded first portion, and a foot peg portion, and a second portion that extends between the first portion and the foot peg portion. More specifically, the threaded first portion and the foot peg portion are generally horizontal and extend in opposite directions from the generally vertical second portion.
Each tree step is threadably coupled to a structure by screwing the threaded first portion into the structure. More specifically, because the foot peg is offset from the axis of rotation that extends through the first portion, the foot peg portion functions as a handle for the user and enables rotational force to be induced through the threaded first portion to facilitate threadably coupling the tree step to the structure. However, depending upon the density of the material into which the tree step is being coupled, a great amount of rotational force may need to be generated to threadably couple the tree step to the tree.
To facilitate generating additional torque for installing the tree step, a driving tool may be coupled to the tree step prior to the step being coupled to the tree. Known driving tools couple to the foot peg and second portions of the hook to enable the user to manually generate additional torsional forces for coupling the steps to the tree. Other known driving tools include a head member that enables a wrench to be coupled to an end of the driving tool to facilitate generating additional rotational forces for coupling the steps to the tree. However, installing tree steps using such driving tools may still be a time-consuming and laborious task, as each tree step must be initially coupled to the driving tool, and then manually removed from the tree step, to enable the process to be repeated with another tree step.